After our coffee at his house, which was tense to say the least, the firefighter drives me back home. He drops me wordlessly at the end of my mother’s drive, one hand on the wheel, watching me as I gather up my things and swing open the door.
‘Well uh, thanks,’ I mutter, ‘I’ll see you later . . .’
‘Tomorrow’ Ryker replies, the one word an order as I swallow before nodding.
Sliding out of my seat, my boots land on the icy ground, the tread digging into the compacted snow, stopping me from falling. I glance at Ryker one last time before slamming the door closed quickly and hurrying around the back of the truck toward the driveway. As I walk up the shovelled path, I can feel Ryker’s eyes tracking me, the heavy weight of his stare burning into my back until I reach the front door and pull o
